


Poetry Half-Drabbles: Ioan Characters Edition

by ioanite



Series: Fandom Half-Drabbles [1]
Category: Amazing Grace (2006), Fantastic Four (Movies 2005-2007), Forever (TV), Hornblower (TV), Titanic (1997)
Genre: Gen, Inspired by Poetry, Meme
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-22
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-04-22 23:06:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4854041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ioanite/pseuds/ioanite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of 50 word stories inspired by lines of poetry and focusing on some of my favorite characters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Round One

**Author's Note:**

> This whole thing came about from a meme floating around on Livejournal in which you pick five fandoms, put them in alphabetical order, get five random poems from a poetry site, take the fifth line from each, and then use those lines to write a 50 word drabble. And since I like a challenge...
> 
> I wound up doing it twice; once by putting the titles of the poems in alphabetical order, and once by putting the lines from the poems in alphabetical order. I've separated the attempts into two different chapters for your convenience.
> 
> I do apologize to those of you who don't like having multiple stories crammed into one entry, but I didn't feel comfortable having a different story for each drabble, _especially_ considering how short they are. However, each fandom is clearly marked, so hopefully you'll be able to quickly scroll and find the one you want.

1\. **Amazing Grace** (“Shut then the other eye”— _Before the Game_ , by Vasko Popa.)

Wilberforce opened an eye at the sound of birdsong. A bird stood outside his window, welcoming the morning. He closed his eye again, hoping to fall asleep once more.

Opening his other eye, he saw the mounds of paperwork, a reminder of his duty. Sighing, he got out of bed.

 

2\. **Fantastic Four** (“If this presumptious seems, God, may I be forgiven”.— _Dedication_ , by Ranier Maria Rilke.)

Reed Richards had never considered himself a religious man. He’d learned very quickly that The Big Bang and Genesis just didn’t mix. But now, staring at the wreckage of his ship, at the transformation of his friends, a transformation that _he’d_ caused, he was feeling an overwhelming urge to pray.

 

3\. **Forever** (“Jack Kerouac sat beside me on a busted rusty iron”— _Sunflower Sutra_ , by Allen Ginsberg.)

Henry had to wonder how he got into these situations. He was all for broadening his horizons, but he was skeptical about the pill he’d been handed, and even more skeptical at the nonsense the chap beside him was spouting, while others looked at him as though he was profound.

 

4\. **Hornblower** (“The position of the Early Christian Church”.— _Sunt Leones_ , by Stevie Smith.)

Hornblower had to wonder how, despite being more versed in sailing, mathematics, and Ancient Greek texts, he was currently debating theology with his guest. Well, at least it kept the man from declaring they were all going to Hell for fighting a war. He had to appreciate the little things.

 

5\. **Titanic** (“For then my thoughts, from far where I abide”,— _Sonnet 27_ , by William Shakespeare.)

Lowe awoke with a start before wincing and drawing the blankets closer. He wondered how long it would take before his dreams stopped being haunted by visions of ice, cracking metal, and a sea of silent bodies, staring at him in silent condemnation. He feared the answer would be never.


	2. Round Two

1\. **Amazing Grace** (“As if I asked the Orient”— _As if I Asked a Common Alms_ , by Emily Dickinson.)

“Do you think this happens in the Far East?” Wilberforce asked bitterly; another failed speech in Parliament had left him introspective.

“Perhaps not this exact problem,” Billy said gently, “But I wouldn’t be surprised if they had slaves too, and equally dedicated people trying to stop it. You’re not alone.”

 

2\. **Fantastic Four** (“But say, you never heard of how he aimed my gore to spill”— _Montreal Maree_ , by Robert Service.)

“I’m glad I found you,” Sue said, rubbing Reed’s shoulders, “Otherwise, Doom would have broken all your bones.”

“It was worse than that,” Reed said, shivering, “He told me that, when I was cold enough, he would shatter me completely. He couldn’t have someone smarter than him around, after all.”

 

(WARNING: SPOILERS FOR "FOREVER")

3\. **Forever** (“I forgive you for what you did not do”.— _My Friend, My Friend_ , by Anne Sexton.)

“Henry?” Jo said softly.

Henry looked up in surprise. “I didn’t expect to see you.”

Jo sighed, closing the door, “That’s why I’m here. I just want you to know that I understand why you kept things hidden from me. You can rely on me to keep it hidden too.”

(END SPOILERS)

 

4\. **Hornblower** (“Of her salamandrine fires,”— _Lines on the Loss of the “Titanic”_ , by Thomas Hardy.)

Hornblower stared up at the fireship, hearing the flames roar, threatening to destroy anything they touched. For one moment, he hesitated, unsure if this was a wise idea. Then the thought of the _Indy_ blown to pieces flashed before his eyes, and he set his jaw and made the leap.

 

5\. **Titanic** (“Springing so forthright from the heart”— _Ernie Pyle_ , by Robert Service.)

“We waited too long.”

He hadn’t meant to say it out loud. Still more guilt and fear was the last thing anyone needed. But it had come out involuntarily, as if speaking it aloud was the only way he could comprehend the magnitude of both the loss and his crime.


	3. Round One Redux

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About a week after uploading this, I was re-reading them and realized that I temporarily forgot how the alphabet worked, thus messing up the order. I decided to re-do the meme, with the three incorrect poems put into the proper order, and then writing two new ones based off of poems that I hadn't been able to use previously.

1\. **Amazing Grace** (“I've never seen an abominable snowman,/I'm hoping not to see one,/I'm also hoping, if I do,/That it will be a wee one.”— _The Abominable Snowman_ , by Ogden Nash.)

“Good God, you startled me, Wilber!” Billy said, stepping aside to let Wilberforce in, “How long have you been out there? You’re absolutely covered in snow!”

“About two hours,” Wilberforce admitted, brushing himself off with a shiver, “But I figured it was high time I stopped somewhere to get warm.”

 

2\. **Fantastic Four** (“‘Just dying for attention,’ you’ve been around”— _The Fortune Cookie Crumbles_ , by John Ashbery.)

“Tell me, what’s your _real_ motive for going into space?” Doom asked pointedly, tapping the magazine cover, “Is it to prove your grand theory right? Or is it just to try to get monetary support for your _actual_ experiments?”

Well aware Doom was needling him, Reed kept his mouth shut.

 

3\. **Forever** (“For then my thoughts, from far where I abide”,— _Sonnet 27_ , by William Shakespeare.)

“Hey, Doc?” Lucas said, waving his hand in front of Henry’s face, “You ok there? You kinda trailed off halfway through.”

“My apologies, Lucas,” Henry said, returning to the body, “I was just reminded of something.”

(He neglected to mention that that “something” was the Spanish Flu outbreak of 1917.)

 

4\. **Hornblower** (“Jack Kerouac sat beside me on a busted rusty iron”— _Sunflower Sutra_ , by Allen Ginsberg.)

“Are you all right, Sir?” Matthews asked.

“I believe so,” Hornblower said, wincing as a damp cloth touched his bleeding temple, “Just a little dazed.”

“That’s a relief,” Matthews said, “You were babbling all sorts of queer things when we pulled you out. We were afraid your mind had gone.”

 

5\. **Titanic** (“The position of the Early Christian Church”.— _Sunt Leones_ , by Stevie Smith.)

Lowe swallowed and bowed his head as the chaplain read out a memorial service for the deceased. He could only hope that what it said in the Bible was true, that the truly deserving would make it into Heaven. In his opinion, absolutely no one deserved a fate like this.


End file.
